Yet Another Artistic Endeavor

An artist friend of mine has been talking art journals for a while, and I love journals and notebooks of all kinds (as prior posts here will attest).  She signed up for this free workshop and since it is free and uses words, I thought "what the heck; why not try this as an intro to art journaling?"  The other advantage to this workshop is that it has no time limits so I can work on it as slowly as my life demands.

Now I make it a point to use purely Stampin' Up! products whenever possible, so I will be adapting much of this to use things like our watercolor crayons and markers, as well as our alphabet stamps and our exclusive Sizzix dies (the negative images of our alpha dies make cool stencils). 

In other words--the workshop is simply a jumping off point for me--total inspiration in how to combine art and words...care to join me?

Honored By One of My Mentors

Liebster, in German,means "darling" or "beloved" but I gather that in the blogging world, it is an award given from one small blogger to another in an effort to spread friendship, knowledge, and readership.  I couldn't find the exact start of the tradition, but receiving this award is an honor.  It evidently is designed to be passed to bloggers with less than 200 followers and since I currently have less than 20, I feel even more Blessed to have been chosen.

My crafting mentor over at GottHeartArt for some unknown reason decided today to honor my blog.  Beverly, I appreciate the thought very much.  Watching you develop your blog and enter challenges and become a member of various design teams has been a true inspiration to me.

By accepting this award, I am to link back to Beverly's blog and thank her for choosing me. Now, I need to choose five other bloggers I follow who each have under 200 followers and provide them with their own Liebster.  I follow about fifty blogs on different subjects (although I tend to lurk on virtually all of them), and some bloggers I follow choose not to accept or pass on these types of awards.  I've tried to choose bloggers who have not published that restriction on their blog, but if any of my awardees choose not to pass this on, please know I have chosen you for your inspiration and there are no strings attached.

1. Sue at random.on purpose.  Inspiring crafting and more inspiring thought process.  She posts on many different topics and is truly a Renaissance soul.
2. C. W. Gortner at Historical Boys: Historical Fiction for Men and Women.   This is a great blog for readers of historical fiction--lots of guest posts from authors of the genre.
3. Kim at Jenkins Journal.  This is a super Stampin' Up! blog, and Kim barely makes it under the 200 followers wire (she's at 198 right now, LOL).
4. Neet, Von and Zoe at Just for Fun.  A UK-based artsy challenge blog with tons of inspiration (all three ladies also have individual blogs that are cool to read too).
5. Suzanne at The British are Coming, Y'all!  Not only does Suzanne write fantastic historical mysteries set during the American Revolution, but she also hosts other writers who discuss relevant history.

These five blogs are only some of my favorites and are listed in no particular order.  I'd love to honor more bloggers--writers, crafters,  historians, cooks, readers--check out the blogs listed on my sidebars if you want to see the many paths my mind travels (that is, if you enjoy eclectic LOL)

2012 Word of the Year = FOCUS

Main Entry: focus  
Function: intransitive verb
: to concentrate attention or effort -- "she was already focusing on her next role"

"focus." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. 

Merriam-Webster, 2002. 

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (1 Jan. 2012)

The last 56 years have taught me that I am not a person who needs to make a lot of New Year's resolutions (see yesterday's post to understand some of the reasons why).  I do need to set yearly goals or guidelines so that I'm not floundering around willy-nilly for the next 365 days.  When I recently read somewhere of the idea that a single word could help me concentrate my efforts, I decided my word for 2012 would be "FOCUS".

In 2012, I want to focus on:

• My Blessings more and my disappointments less
• Creating items, not collecting supplies--even though the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini that starts January 4th is the best Mini ever, and 2012 Sale-A-Bration begins on January 24th, LOL
• Shrinking my TBR mountain, not increasing it--and as I complete a book, I want to post reviews in appropriate places
• Writing more and researching less--the first TGAN draft needs to be completed by July
• Blogging more consistently--this blog will continue its multiple purposes (crafting, writing, and my life in general)
• Networking more with other writers
• Eating healthy foods in smaller portions
• Increasing my retirement savings as I decrease my debt

And now a caveat for my readers:  2012 is an election year in the United States, and my friends know I'm a political junkie.  So far, I have kept politics off this blog primarily because I feel the election cycle has become way too drawn out.  Although I will try to maintain a balance here, part of learning the art of focus means also that I must be even more true to my inner self than I have been in the past.  Hopefully, any discussion occurring here as a result of a post will be respectful and calm.  I do reserve the right to edit or delete comments containing any form of hate speech or excessive expletives.  I don't expect all my readers to agree--I do expect them to be respectful of others' opinions.

I may or may not post specific goals as the year progresses, but I will keep track of my need to focus on the subjects listed above.  Do you have a focus for 2012?

I'm Going to Summer Camp!

Camp NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow!  I'm planning on another 50K and since July has 31 days, I only need 1613 words each day to be a winner!  November was a bust for me last year--I was a "pantser" rather than a "plotter"--and so when the wonderful people at The Office of Letters and Light decided to have a summer camp program, I jumped at the chance to escape from the Texas heat and spend time in 1862 Louisiana (yeah, I'm still writing about the Civil War).

Not that I expect July to be an easy road of writing.  I have a working outline (no more being a "pantser" for me, LOL), but July holds its own set of writing challenges--the new Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog debuts tomorrow!  It's the yummiest one I have ever seen!  And of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II debuts on July 15...even though I know the ending, I have to see this one on the big screen as I have all the prior seven. 

However, I have a wonderful inspiration piece to keep me motivated.  My dear friend Beverly over at GottHeartArt is a published artist in several card making magazines and has recently branched out into mixed media.  She decided to gift me with a beautiful piece for my writing area:

Isn't this the most awesome gift ever?  The acorn idea came from reading Sage Cohen's The Productive Writer and I encourage any creative soul to read this book, as all the tips and techniques are inspiring for anyone who wants to pursue a dream.

So--even though my idea of camping out usually means a cheap hotel room without cable (I used to say with a black and white TV but that would really prove how old I am LOL), I am headed to writing camp!  I'll try to check in here more often than I have been (which would really be ironic given the scarcity of posts the past few months), but I will surely post my win come July 31 (nothing like the power of positive thinking LOL).

For any Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day on July 1 and for the Americans, Happy Independence Day on July 4!  If you are visiting from anywhere else--welcome and I hope to get to know you better ;-)

Putting My Butt in My Writing Chair

Found this over at Confessions of the Un-Published! today.  Great "tough love" for writers!




It has been a really strange day for me.  My schedule change threw me for a bigger loop than I expected, because I am a creature of habit--I've worked a lot of jobs and worked weekends on many of them, but it has been years since my days off have not been consecutive...so today was spent doing housework, laundry, grocery shopping (aka general living), and I just looked up to realize a full day has gone without getting to write or create :-(

Jackson's great video reminds me that I will never have a finished novel if I don't write the danged thing LOL...similarly, I won't have any more cards made for OWH or challenges if I don't sit at my studio table and create them.  So, even though my TBR mountain has been calling my name, and there are many new Blu-Ray/DVD movies out that I want to watch, and I want badly to blog-surf to see what new inspiration is out there (like Jackson's video for instance), I am signing off the Internet for the rest of the night...TGAN and writing chair, here I come!

My Muse is MIA

Try as I might this past week, no creating with paper was done :-(

Lots of general living occurred--work (of course LOL), the cleaning and bill-paying and shopping that had not happened recently due to illness, and the beginnings of a slight rearrangement of my crafting area.  For me, organization and creativity only co-exist when outlining chapters for my novel (and I did manage to roughly sketch out a couple of chapters this week, so all is not lost).

I was Blessed to receive a tax refund this year and chose to use a portion for Stampin' Up! products during Sale-A-Bration, primarily because of the great free product available with every $50 purchase.  The down side to ordering cardstock and stamps and ribbons and embellishments comes when you have to find a place to put all the goodies LOL.  So, instead of using the creative side of my brain (the part that was MIA anyway), I organized my dies and stamps and paper.  My brain stayed incapable of designing cards--what's up with that??  I even watched a few videos on You Tube to inspire creative thought, but all I could find was a blank slate...

That's not entirely true--I did conclude I had a few needs.  I need ribbon storage.  I need to find the instructions to my sewing machine (it has been unused so long, I can no longer remember how to set it for a zigzag stitch, much less use any of the more decorative stitches).  I need to find my muse...

Monday Musings

"A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change." --Earl Nightingale 

I love quotes!  I collect them for inspiration and to put in my handcrafted cards, and sometimes use them for chapter headings in my various works-in-progress.

For 2011, in an attempt to post more regularly, I hope to share some of my favorites and will do so under various headings, including Monday Musings.  This one seems like a great choice to inaugurate the series...I've shared before that I am considered a Pollyanna by many, but famous people often make fortunes off the power of thinking positively.

I will not proselytize during these posts--my faith disapproves of preaching in any form, so what I intend here is a simple jumping-off point for your own thoughts.  Some quotes may resonate with you and others undoubtedly will not.  That's okay.  I hope somewhere, someone, sometime, finds one or more of them useful.

The Fine Art of Recycling--Faux Metal Wall Art (It is Awesome!)

These are fantastic pieces of wall decor!  Great for any wall because you make them yourself so you can adapt the size to the wall space you have...and the price cannot be beat!  Like the site where I found this post originally (Totally Tutorials), I am not going to share the base material--see if you can guess...(I sure didn't).

Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom has some other fascinating "faux" tutorials-- and go check out what she does to make her beaded Faberge eggs (I bookmarked it for Easter decor--older kids could even do these, I bet).

Now, I just need to sort thru my recycling...

The Blessings of Being "One"

This month is a reflection month for me since experiencing Hurricane Katrina five years ago (I have other reflection months for other reasons--November for instance because of my birthday).  When I returned to Dallas on the waves of Katrina, I knew the city well--it is, after all, my native locale.  But, I was raw inside:  vulnerable, in need of emotional shelter, wanting comfort, wanting someone else to be the strong one, wanting to follow rather than lead...

I had tried various forms of communal living from 2002-2005.  I had tried living with my daughter's family (that turned into a multi-generational mess).  I had been a live-in nanny for a dear friend (TMI on way too many levels and a great way to lose a best friend).  I had a roommate to share expenses (a necessity for living decently in New Orleans without being rich).  When Katrina struck, friends and family really pitched in to get me to Dallas and help me get back on my feet.  The independent, stubborn, Scorpio side of me wanted to ensure I was employed and housed and fed without charity as soon as possible.  That was the easy part--I had an apartment by September, a job in October, and life moved on.  The emotional, needy Scorpio side of me ran into an old acquaintance who on the surface was everything I always knew he could be and I chose to give him another chance.  Thankfully, I lost only possessions, time, and the respect of others who knew I had made a poor choice of partner.  The scars which could so easily have been physical were only emotional, and they have taught me many lessons. 

That's all background.  The here and now is a Blessed Singleness.  I cherish my friends and even most of my acquaintances.  I cherish more my ability to live life alone--picking and choosing my companion of the day based on the event; knowing that many times my most loving companion is myself.  My circle of friends narrows as I age simply because I choose to have only positive thinkers surround me.  We need not agree on politics or religion or any other topic, but we need to respect one another and support each other in our goals in this second third of our lives.

It's Sunday morning.  I'm not finished rearranging my apartment.  There are dishes and laundry to do, meals to cook, bills to pay.  I could get overwhelmed with general living yet I sit here basking in the knowledge that

Man can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as... from a lack of bread.  ~Richard Wright, Native Son, 1940

I found this video this morning on 52-Card Pickup, a card challenge blog I follow faithfully for her wonderful challenges to be more self aware.   I want to instill enough self-discipline to start participating in her challenge, but for now, I need to just publicly thank her for her inspiration on a weekly basis.  Thank you, Sue.

Plans are Made to be Changed, Right?

When I posted early in the year I had joined the 100-Book Reading Challenge, I stated that only "fun" reading would count--nonfiction research on writing styles or historical research for my novel would not count.

Well, here I am, halfway through the year, and I have read a measly two books for fun (my challenge list is at the very bottom of my blog).  So, I am invoking the right of a woman to change her mind.  I have had so much true fun reading about the Civil War era that I cannot help but want to list the books I am devouring.

(Yes, I believe in reincarnation and I know I was a librarian in at least one past life.  I loved researching reports in school, find genealogy fascinating, and my ideal job would be as a research assistant for a historian or archaeologist). 

So, I am adding to the list all the titles I have enjoyed thus far in my travel back to the South of the 1860s.  I am also going to add the wondrous writing aids I have found and whose pages may have started out pristine but have been highlighted, underlined, and otherwise annotated.  Some have become trusted companions on this novel-writing journey.  I may even write mini-reviews of my favorites at some point in case they may be of help to others.

One thing I have not done as yet--even if the links to the book titles should point to the Amazon description (something I try to avoid--I always make every attempt to link to the author's website), that Amazon description is not a monetized link.  Any opinions on any book or product featured on this blog is a non-compensated opinion.  I have paid for the products I review.  Should that situation ever change, I will prominently announce the fact.

Scroll down and take a look at where my reading has taken me.  Since I'm not the HTML girl, I can't seem to color-code the list as I would like ("fun" fiction vs. history vs. writing guides), so I'll try a series of asterisks:

*      will mean historical research
**    will denote a writer's guide

no asterisk is "fun" (fiction, escapism)

If you are an author and know of other books I should read on the art of writing good fiction, please share the titles.  And if you are a Civil War buff and have insight on source material that would enrich my setting, I'd love to hear about it.  Thanks in advance for sharing!

Marvelous Mail on Monday

Look what wonders I got in the mail today!

My friend Beverly over at GottHeartArt mailed me this great card (she does awesome work--she's been published in both the April 2010 edition of Scrap and Stamp Arts and the Spring 2010 issue of Just Cards!)...it is wonderful to receive any mail at all that does not pertain to business, but to open the mailbox and find a handcrafted card made especially to lift your spirits?  Man, that is a Marvelous Mail Day!  (If you want to know the particulars about the stamp, papers, etc., her challenge post about this card is here).

I have been having a bit of a time with certain scenes in "Don't Trust the Rain", but this gem of a card and the sentiment behind it is the encouragement I needed to move past this rough spot and continue the tale.  Once more, I have been reminded to put the words on the paper now and edit the dross away later--just keep seeking the end of the story  ;-)

Plots that Simply Plod Along

"Don't Trust the Rain" did not start out to be a historical mystery--it began as historical fiction with a time-travel twist.  My characters are now in New Orleans in 1862 and they have survived the time warp that sent them there. They are scattered and need to be reunited.

On the surface, it sounds like I have made lots of progress--and I did with one group of characters.  The second group are being stubborn.  They simply want to plod along aimlessly and aimlessness is boring!  (And if you think it is boring to read, try writing it LOL).

So, I need to prod these folks into some action and add some excitement and period color into their journey.  That is sending me back into the realms of research.  I love researching history, and as an old geezer who learned to use printed encyclopedias and card catalogs, I'm loving the ability to research on the Internet in my pajamas at home ;-)

Speaking of research, I cannot write enough praise for Kathy Lynn Emerson's How To Write Killer Historical Mysteries.  She writes some of my favorite mystery series, and this book is an outstanding guide for all historical fiction writers (just skip the genre-specific parts).

So, when counting my 250 daily words for the next week or so, they may easily be hand-written words noting clothing and building structure and timelines and foodstuffs and communication and transportation--well, you get the drift.  Lots of notes with lots of diagrams linking those notes into some semblance of colourful plot.

Do I need to add a murder to excite my characters?  Or perhaps a theft?  I have no problem writing violent acts if necessary and some planned scenes exist in outline form between Confederates and Unionists (it is early in the Civil War after all), but I am not a reader who enjoys violence for the sake of violence or sexual assaults simply to advance the action in the book.  If I don't like to read it, I certainly refuse to write it.  Other means must be found to make my reader want to turn the page ;-)

Writing is fun.  Researching is even more fun.  Forcing characters into action can be work...

Writing Prompt Wednesdays

Michelle over at Southern City Mysteries has started this great Wednesday Writing Prompt.  Her prompt for today is "How the tides came crashing..." and here is what came to mind from that:

The ground was still soggy as Epps tried to gather fallen limbs.  The fast tide in this small creek made it obvious even to his young eyes they'd lived through no ordinary storm.  "Well," he thought,  "Mom and that Charles fella are saying we've gone back in time.  That sure means we were lucky not to have drowned.  How they expect to make a fire out of this wet stuff I don't know, but I better not go any further upstream.  If this really is around Bayou St. John, I could walk into swamp and be a goner for sure."

Well, it's a rough idea of one of my character's thoughts at the moment.  I promise it will read better in the finished novel ;-)

Standing in the Shadow of Greatness

I know few writers personally but need to surround myself with intelligent, supportive, creative people who constantly strive to make positive changes in their personal life and who also attempt to positively affect others.  Some of my friends scrap, some know and understand gems, virtually all are voracious readers, and some make cards (as I do whenever I have "spare" time).

I was Blessed to meet one such person almost two years ago, and she is a crafter extraordinaire.  That has now been proven as she was just notified one of her cards is being published in the April 2010 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts.

Go over to GottHeartArt and see some wonderous eye candy!   Beverly has been a talented crafter her entire life and her card designs run the gamut from cute and cuddly to clean and simple and into the lavish and elegant depending on her mood.  She's also been a featured/guest designer on several card making blogs, and is the current guest designer of the month at Creative Inspirations.

During NaNoWriMo last November, when I honestly wondered how I could ever accomplish 50K in 30 days, she was the best cheerleader a friend could ever desire.  Even now, when I worry about the direction my novel is taking or the time it is taking to finish, no matter how busy (or how sick) she is, she makes sure I know I have someone in my creative corner cheering me to the finish line.

In an age when so many seem to interpret the Golden Rule as "Let me get them before they get me", it is very refreshing to have honest, supportive friends, and it is wondrous to see those friends be recognized for the quality of their work...

Congratulations, Beverly--here's to greater success in the future for you and your cards!

A "To Don't" List--Is this the answer?

I love Whatever...Whenever and visit this blog as often as I can...check out her links as well--she's artistic and funny and this post on over-achieving could have been part of my yet-to-be written autobiography LOL.

I have 24 hours in my day--established fact, right? And the job that pays for everything takes nine of those hours, including computer boot time and the 30-minute lunch that allows for nothing but eating.

Of the remaining fifteen hours, my body requires a bare minimum of six being spent in sleep, with 6 1/2 to seven being even better. Occasionally, I can get by with five, but the older I get, the less flexible my body is when it lacks proper rest. So, use six as the touchpoint, and we now have nine hours a day for everything else that "general living" requires.

Let's define general living as cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills/handling mail, personal hygiene (shower, anyone? LOL), etc. Granted, in a one-person household, a few of these things are not daily tasks--laundry is once weekly. Walking to/from the grocery store takes time. Carrying groceries by hand means more trips because there are limits as to how much I can carry. So, the days I go to the store are usually weekend days. Other errands requiring bus travel (I call it "destination shopping") are either vacation days or weekends because the bus trip alone can exceed an hour each way.

So, at nine hours a day times seven days a week, I have 63 hours to work with. If cooking for one takes a total of an hour daily, followed by an hour of general housecleaning and a half-hour of mail/business, the free time is reduced to 45.5 hours. With walking/bus times for the household shopping, let's reduce that by a minimum of 9.5 hours weekly.

I am a writer of historical/speculative fiction. I need time to research. I need time to write. I need time to network with other writers. I need time to study the craft of writing.  With the idea of my most recent challenge in mind, let's devote a minimum of one hour daily to writing, and perhaps another daily hour to research.  There go fourteen more hours, leaving 22 left to "schedule".

I am a paper crafter who sells Stampin' Up! as a sideline, primarily to receive the discount (although all new customers are quite welcome to my website LOL), and I enjoy my crafting.  In an ideal world, I would play with paper (or at least be puttering in my studio) for an hour a day.  22-7=15.

Who doesn't like to connect with friends?  I talk on the phone often with my friends; I follow various blogs (and have people who follow mine--wonder of wonders).  Welcome to my new followers--I am so happy to meet you!  Reading and responding to e-mail takes time.  Commenting on blogs takes time.  This socialization is important to someone who works from home.

Look at what I am doing to myself!  I have already posted that over-organizing and my pursuit of perfection denies me the opportunity to simply enjoy life!  I need to learn to say "no".  I need to learn to "hit a lick at a snake" and know that BALANCE is key.  "All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull person", and who wants to be dull?  I don't.

Who wants to join me and make a "To Don't" list? 

Let's Celebrate!

And what are we celebrating?  I am entering my first Challenges!  One of my BFFs over at GottHeartArt has said for ages that I make challenge-worthy items, so here goes.  Of course, speaking of challenges, photography is a huge challenge for me.  Trust me, this little pouch looks much better in person; it seems anywhere I am in my home that has blank wall space ends up with a green or yellow tint to the background.  If I am going to post more challenges, I need to do two things--1) learn how to use all the features on my camera and 2) set up a spot with a decent easel to take post-worthy photos.

Anyway, here it is.  A small gift pouch based on a great You Tube video from Monica's Passions (I love her accent too).  I made my pouch bigger by using a 8 1/2" square of paper.  The SU! Sending Love Specialty Paper (from the Occasions catalog) is glittered on one side, so instead of simply folding the pouch, I also used some SNAIL to keep it all folded neatly.  The Chocolate Chip edge was glued to each edge of the back side of the front flap and the brad holding the bow goes thru the front flap and the two folded sides, but not all the way thru the pouch front which keeps the inside of the pouch neat. 

I put a slight curl to the back edge (my idea) and crunched the bottom as Monica suggested.  Since I am bow-challenged, Monica's idea for affixing bows using brads absolutely ROCKS!

Other products used (all SU!) are the wonderful Pretty in Pink Sending Love Epoxy Brads, both Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, and one of my all-time favorite punches, the Curly Label. 

And although I have always liked the wood-mounted stamps from Stampin" Up! they are truly rocking it with the new clear-mount, red rubber stamps, like this "With All My Heart" set.  That's where the punched label's background came from, while the saying belongs to the "On Your Birthday" wood-mounted set.

So, in for a penny, in for a pound.  Now, if I have figured out the Mr. Linky thing (another challenge for me--I sometimes get totally baffled by some of the simplest PC tasks), this seems to fit three Challenges:

1)     Stampin' Royalty -- Birthday Theme Challenge (Their first challenge)

2)     2 Red Bananas -- Banana Split Sunday Challenge "Think Round"

3)     52-Card Pickup --  Make It Count

52-Card Pickup is a totally new blog, and I had originally thought to enter this in their first challenge but they have already posted #2.  I still think it fits the post theme of aims and goals and choices, don't you?

Stampin' Royalty is new, too.  Somehow, new challenge blogs don't seem to be quite as intimidating to a challenge newbie LOL. 

I'm hoping the round edge to the stamp on the tag and the curved bottom help qualify this as "Think Round" for 2 Red Bananas--if not, well, there is always the brad and I will have lived and learned.

Inspiration for 2010 (and a New Challenge Blog)

My cardmaking buddy over at GottHeartArt is one of the most encouraging people I know (and one of the most talented cardmakers I have ever seen).  She pointed me to this brand-new blog and I immediately started following; the post about "choice" resonated in my very soul.

My fifties have been leading me in the direction of appropriate choice slowly but surely.  Each time I set more appropriate boundaries between myself and others; each time I choose to "Finally Love Myself"; each time I exercise for even 5 or 10 or 15 minutes; each time I cook rather than order in; each time I spend even 15 minutes daily doing something creative; each time I write another scene in TGAN--each appropriate choice made allows me to be true to the inner Linda and true to the God/dess of my understanding. And with every appropriate choice, my soul grows and develops into what I should be.

Life is a journey, not a destination.  The "experts" are suggesting that we all plan to live well into our eighties and based on many of my friends, this is not an exaggeration.  That gives me a minimum of 25+ years.  When I was 25, I couldn't see living to 50.  Now, I can't NOT see living to at least 80 and I would prefer 100+, especially if I can still see and taste and move and feel and read and write and...

So I will follow 52-Card Pickup and GottHeartArt and Scandalous Women and Killer Hobbies and all the other wonderful crafting and writing (and reading) blogs listed on my sidebar (and many of the ones listed on their sidebars).  I will emulate these ladies.  I will lurk if I must and participate when I can.  I will learn from them. 

I will continue the journey...

Resolutions for Writers 2010

Oh my Heavens! Friends of mine read J.A. Konrath's Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels mystery series so I know they must be good (they are currently buried in my TBR mountain or out on loan to other friends), but I found this blog thru yet another blog I follow and is this ever the kick in the pants I need to print and post over my writing desk!

All aspiring writers need to follow this blog, no matter the genre. This is straightforward, no-nonsense advice from someone who is where I want to be and who doesn't sugarcoat the pathway.

Wow! I think I'm gonna go write!

Change is Good

My blog will be changing somewhat over the next week or so. Changes in my demonstrator agreement with Stampin' Up! mean that some of my links and blinkies will be removed from my sidebar. This is not being done because of any negative transaction with those sites; it is being done to bring my blog in line with a contract I have signed. We all know there are many craft suppliers and paper artists out there. I am narrowing my focus to those who use SU! products so that both I and my readers can learn more about the great items my demonstrator website offers and be inspired to use SU! stamps, inks and papers in all my paper crafting.

I am a hobbyist demonstrator in many ways. Public transportation makes giving workshops difficult, but between my love of our products and a few friends who also love SU! stamps and inks, I manage to stay an active demonstrator.

I welcome the changes. They are making me look at my craft spending habits more seriously. I've owned my own business before. I understand non-compete clauses and realize that I have a responsibility to remain loyal to the company I represent.

Now that sections of the contract/agreement have been clarified for me, I feel free to correctly post pictures of items I have made. I can link to videos and blogs that are exclusively SU! and know I am following the rules ;-)

So as I make and share my holiday cards and bookmarks and "gifties", just know that all items are from Stampin' Up! and feel free to come on over to my website and place an order LOL!

Dumb and Dumber--Where does it Stop?

Please help start a movement to save the English language!

Most of my friends are 40+ and I enjoy surrounding myself with people who read and enjoy the arts. Call us "old fogeys" if you will, but we enjoy intellectual discussion on many varied topics. Several of us will start reading a novel and get so engrossed with some aspect of the setting or timeline that we will head to the nearest encyclopedia for a deeper understanding.

Recently, we have noticed more slang in printed works. Slang has a place in creating characters or moods, but too much of an okay thing is not at all right. Then we began to notice books in which computer proofing caused grammar errors--"two" for "too" or "to"; "their" being used for "there" and vice-versa--need I go on?

And I could truly rant about the obnoxious spelling present in "tweets", text-messages and e-mails. What started as a few emoticons in e-mails from one friend to another has begun to steamroll into blatant disregard--even in professional environs--for intelligent written communication.

A noted magazine geared towards writers is having a lively discussion through the letters to the editor due to a contest-winning entry that could have benefited from better grammar and punctuation.

The editorial column in volume 11, issue 4 of North and South explains my angst much more coherently than I; please find a copy and read it.

Our President has challenged us to learn and to value education no matter our age. If we are to meet all the challenges inherent in keeping the United States as a world power throughout the next decades, we must be able to communicate. Writing, whether on paper or electronically produced, must make clear sense to those who read and act upon what was written. Creativity is transmitted best when it is concise and readable. This is true when talking to my boss. It is true when writing a blog post. It is true when discussing possible solutions to financial problems, global warming, cessation of hostilities across the world--imagine diplomacy without precise translation from one language to another...

I have forgotten grammar, syntax, and spelling more often than I care to admit, and this aspiring writer knows she will never be the next J.K. Rowling, Lincoln Childs, Diana Gabaldon or Kathy Lynn Emerson. I pray however, that my inevitable rejection letters will not come because of spelling or sloppy sentence structure.

I refuse to "dumb down" to increase my audience. Each day brings us another opportunity to stretch our imaginations and increase our communication skills, and I refuse to believe I am alone in holding true to traditional ideals of language. Our young people will rise to a challenge if we require it as we have in the past. They have begun to read again thanks to "Twilight" and "Harry Potter". Now we need to encourage them to write (thanks Christopher Paolini for proving it can be done!).